Founded October 7, 1776 Congressional district 1st Area 947.9 km² County seat Morgantown | Largest city Morgantown Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4 Population 102,274 (2013) | |
Website www.co.monongalia.wv.us Rivers Monongahela River, Cheat River, Dunkard Creek Cities Morgantown, Westover, Granville, Star City, Blacksville, Pentress Colleges and Universities West Virginia University, West Virginia Junior Co, Monongalia County Technical, West Virginia University, Ross Medical Educatio Points of interest Monongalia Arts Center, Dorsey Knob, Cheat Lake, Mylan Park Expo Center, White Park | ||
Monongalia County, known locally as Mon County, is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 96,189, making it West Virginia's third-most populous county. Its county seat is at Morgantown. The county was founded in 1776.
Contents
- Map of Monongalia County WV USA
- History
- Geography
- Rivers streams and lakes
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
- 2000 census
- 2010 census
- Education
- Cities
- Towns
- Census designated places
- References
Map of Monongalia County, WV, USA
Monongalia County is included in the Morgantown, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the largest county in North-Central West Virginia. It is defined entirely as part of the Pittsburgh media market.
History
Monongalia County takes its name from the Monongahela River. The name Monongalia may be a misspelling of Monongahela. Alternatively, the conventional Latinate ending "-ia" (designating "land of..." or "country of..." — as in Arabia, Bolivia or Columbia) may have been added to Monongahela (i.e., "Land of the Monongahela").
Monongalia County was formed in 1776 when Virginia's remote District of West Augusta was divided into three counties: Ohio, Yohogania and Monongalia, all named for their most prominent rivers. Ohio County then encompassed most of the western region of the district bordering the Ohio River, including parts of what is now southwestern Pennsylvania. Yohogania County consisted of much of what is now southwestern Pennsylvania and the present counties of Hancock and the northern part of Brooke in West Virginia. Monongalia County also encompassed what are now the counties of Tucker, Randolph, Harrison and Barbour in north-central West Virginia, as well as parts of what are now Washington, Greene and Fayette Counties in Pennsylvania. In 1780, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson gave the militia enrollment of what was then the vast Monongalia County at 1,000 troops.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 366 square miles (950 km2), of which 360 sq mi (930 km2) is land and 5.8 sq mi (15 km2) (1.6%) is water.
Rivers, streams, and lakes
Major highways
Adjacent counties
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 81,866 people, 33,446 households, and 18,495 families residing in the county. The population density was 227 people per square mile (88/km²). There were 36,695 housing units at an average density of 102 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.22% White, 3.38% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 2.45% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 33,446 households out of which 24.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.80% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.70% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out with 18.20% under the age of 18, 23.40% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 101.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,625, and the median income for a family was $43,628. Males had a median income of $33,113 versus $23,828 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,106. About 11.30% of families and 22.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 96,189 people, 39,777 households, and 20,032 families residing in the county. The population density was 267.1 inhabitants per square mile (103.1/km2). There were 43,238 housing units at an average density of 120.1 per square mile (46.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.0% white, 3.6% black or African American, 3.1% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.7% were German, 17.1% were Irish, 13.0% were English, 11.0% were Italian, 7.5% were American, and 5.0% were Polish.
Of the 39,777 households, 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 49.6% were non-families, and 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 29.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,167 and the median income for a family was $62,966. Males had a median income of $43,383 versus $32,164 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,116. About 8.6% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The county's public schools are operated by Monongalia County Schools. The county is also home to West Virginia's largest university, West Virginia University, located in Morgantown.